Specialist Youth Family Worker

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

We have an opening for a Specialist Youth Family Worker.

This is a rare opportunity to contribute to Bracknell Forest’s multi-agency approach to meeting the needs of children and young people.

We have an amazing opportunity with our Permanency Team, which provides multidisciplinary assistance to social work teams. The job works across all teams, assisting young people and families who are experiencing challenging conduct.

Do you have any prior experience working with challenging families and behaviours? This is a fantastic opportunity to help keep families together, improve results for youth, and shape services.

Bracknell Forest Council has a nationally known practice model called the ‘Family Safeguarding Model’. Ofsted reported in their November 2023 targeted inspection that children in care are supported to return to their families as much as possible. A multi-disciplinary team, including therapists and family support adolescent workers, can help many children stay with their families or foster carers or securely return home from care (Jan 2024).

The Permanency team takes a relational approach to all we do, extending the family safeguarding paradigm to include adolescents and young people with complex needs. We want to help young people stay with their families and engage with their communities, building resilience and helping others around them. Everything we do in Children’s Social Care is aimed at enhancing the life prospects of Bracknell’s children; simply put, we change lives for the better.

Because we are Bracknell Forest.

What is it like to work in our team?

We are a tiny and friendly local government. Leaders and managers understand the importance of providing social care professionals with a strong physical and psychological foundation from which to perform at their best.

The Permanency team is a small, devoted staff that helps us deliver the best possible care to our vulnerable children and young people.

You will receive support to perform the following duties, responsibilities, and training.

• Direct interventions with children and adolescents, including foster children and care leavers.
• Direct interventions with parents and carers to help them understand their own and their children’s needs.
• Help the professional community surrounding children and young people better understand and respond to their needs.
• Encourage group work among parents and young people.

You will receive the following benefits:

• An inclusive and social working atmosphere with diverse worker networks.
• We provide a hybrid working paradigm to encourage flexible working around personal and family commitments.
• Generous yearly leave begins at 25 days and increases to 28 days after three years of service (pro rata for part time). With an additional yearly leave buy policy.
• Regular possibilities for growth through internal and external training sessions.
• A fantastic office site near transport links and the redeveloped town centre.
• Internal sports and social club opportunities.
• An intensive employee assistance programme (EAP) to promote health and well-being.
• Memberships to the leisure centre and gym are discounted.
• Supermarket discounts.
• Local government pension plan / Life insurance coverage.

What we are looking for

This is a diverse and exciting profession that demands a strong commitment to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and young people. When working with individuals and families, you must have strong communication skills as well as creativity.

You must be organised, adaptable, IT literate, and ready to work as part of a team.

Interview date

Interviews will be place on June 27, 2024.

Want to ask us a question?

For a casual conversation or to ask any inquiries regarding this position, please contact:

Beth Patterson, Assistant Team Manager, Permanency Team.

Tel: 01344 352547

Bracknell Forest values equality, diversity, and inclusion, and we welcome applications from applicants of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or age. As a Disability Confident Employer, please notify us if you require any changes at any time during the recruiting process by emailing our friendly recruitment staff at recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

At Bracknell Forest Council, we strive to foster an open, ambitious, and always-learning working culture that fosters wellbeing. We encourage our employees to prioritise their own well-being and support one another, allowing them to be themselves, perform at their best, and provide great care to our residents. The Bracknell Forest Council Wellbeing Network consists of different staff wellbeing support groups; we now have 35 Wellbeing Champions who are all qualified Mental Health First Aiders, a Disability and Neurodiversity Staff Forum, and a Pause for Menopause Open Forum.

We will assess applications on a regular basis and have the right to close the advertisement early if appropriate applicants are identified. To minimise disappointment, you should send your application as soon as possible.

Bracknell Forest Council is devoted to protecting and promoting the well-being of children and vulnerable individuals. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment. As part of our pre-employment screening procedure, all successful candidates for this position will undergo a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check.

We can only accept applications from people who currently reside in the United Kingdom.

Candidates in the UK seeking sponsorship can assess their eligibility for the post by comparing their circumstances to the applicable criteria.

No agencies, please.

Equal opportunities

Bracknell Forest Council: Working for Equality. We encourage applications from all areas of the community.

How to apply?

Please keep in mind that we will not accept CVs that are not accompanied by a properly completed online application.